1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods of adhering textile covers to spherical objects and more particularly relates to methods of covering tennis balls with textile fabrics.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A commercially practiced prior art method for covering tennis balls is depicted schematically in FIG. 1 of the attached drawings. In the conventional process (shown in the figure), the cover fabric is coated with one component of a two-part latex adhesive, and the core is coated with the second component. An array of identical dumbbell-shaped pieces is cut from the adhesive-coated fabric and the remaining fabric is removed as waste. The dumbbell-shaped pieces are stacked in register and the stack is clamped and dipped in a latex bath so that the edges of the individual pieces are coated. After separation of this stack of pieces the adhesive-coated core and two of the adhesive-backed and seam-coated dumbbells are assembled to form a complete ball. The assembled balls are cured in heated molds for approximately 10 minutes, during which time the adhesive bond between the cover and the core is developed, and the seam is thereby formed. The process involves three distinct coating and drying steps, an elaborate and time-consuming assembly and disassembly routine for the stack of pieces, and a slow cure cycle for the assembled ball. The waste fabric from the cutting process is contaminated with adhesive, which is difficult and expensive to remove, and hence the potential for recycling the waste is small.
The method of the present invention simplifies the prior art process of covering tennis balls, reducing the number of steps required and eliminating the need for solvent based adhesives. Solvents must be driven off into the atmosphere in a separate step. Release of solvents into the atmosphere is of course an undesirable occurrence. In addition, in the preferred method of the invention, the waste fabric from the above-described cutting process is not contaminated with adhesive. The waste cuttings therefore can be economically recycled.
Representative of prior art teachings in the written literature are those found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,652,094; 3,558,413; and 3,684,284; see also British patent specification No. 1,152,240.